South African authorities have confirmed the rescue of 12 crew members from a Nigerian tugboat that sank off the country’s coast late Saturday night, with one fatality recorded and five others still missing.
The vessel, identified as LEO, reportedly had 18 people on board when it ran aground in stormy waters approximately 18 nautical miles offshore between Cape Town and Durban.
The tugboat had earlier travelled to South Africa for repairs and was said to be en route back to Lagos when the incident occurred.
Nigeria’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, disclosed on Monday that Nigerian authorities were formally notified by their South African counterparts.
In a statement issued in Abuja by her Special Assistant on Communication and New Media, Magnus Eze, the minister confirmed that one crew member had died, while search and rescue operations were ongoing for the five others still unaccounted for.
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“The South Africa Ministry of Transportation informed us of this development,” the statement quoted her as saying.
She added that the South African Maritime Safety Authority had conveyed that the rescued crew members were being transported to Port Elizabeth, where officials of the Nigeria High Commission were en route to receive them.
Families of the crew members are said to be anxiously awaiting further updates as maritime authorities intensify recovery efforts amid challenging weather conditions.
Further details are expected as rescue operations continue and investigations begin into the circumstances surrounding the sinking.